Match Day Headquarters, 971 W. U.S. 40, Greenfield, is the site of the future home of the Hancock County Community Foundation. Standing by a billboard at the site is (from left) Marie Felver, Katie Ottinger, Mary Gibble, Emily Wilson and Perry Flaugh.
Submitted photo
GREENFIELD – An event celebrating community is coming up this weekend, welcoming anyone with a giving heart to learn more about nonprofits and see their gifts grow.
Match Day will feature live entertainment, character meet and greets, food trucks and more in a 30-hour event Friday through Saturday.
The Hancock County Community Foundation is hosting the event at what’s currently being called Match Day Headquarters. The site is the future home of the foundation, 971 W. U.S. 40, and the event is not only designed to gain attention and funds for the 14 nonprofits that are participating in Match Day but also reveal plans for the HCCF’s new space after renovations are complete.
“Come have fun on our new property,” said Mary Gibble, president and CEO of the HCCF. “It’ll be a day of fun – food trucks, music all through the day, characters to meet and greet the kiddos, and a bash in the evening.”
While the celebration is free, it’s also in the spirit of giving, Gibble said. Anyone who gives at Match Day to any or all of the 14 nonprofits will have their dollars matched by the foundation.
Match Day comes every five years, designed as a special event to get the community excited about the services local groups are providing, Gibble said.
The party kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30 and is primarily for nonprofit leaders and volunteers, though food trucks will be available for anyone who comes.
Volunteers will stay at the site all night long – that’s part of the fun of Match Day, Gibble says – and then breakfast kicks off at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1.
The community is welcome to come to family-friendly festivities throughout the day Saturday, from bounce houses to balloon art to face painting. Food trucks are available for lunch and dinner, and live entertainment runs from 5-10 p.m. While children are still welcome, Gibble said the bash in the evening will have more of an adult vibe.
Funds donated will go toward operating endowments, which help nonprofits sustain and grow in the work they do.
“The community foundation is in the business of helping people think about tomorrow,” she said. “What I love about Match Days we’ve had before is, the families that come and the conversations that happen. We want to encourage families to come, we want children to come.”
This is the third Match Day the HCCF has hosted and each time the party gets bigger. Emily Wilson, advancement officer for the HCCF, said they really wanted to capture the spirit of family philanthropy and all generations being able to give back to the 14 nonprofits.
“(It’s) teaching kids at a young age that you can have fun and give back to the community,” Wilson said. “We wanted to have small pockets of different events that will bring kids and their families and their grandparents to the property and be able to celebrate these 14 nonprofits.”
From equine therapy to the food pantry, and school foundations to local parks, the Match Day participating agencies provide services to all types of people. Wilson encourages participants to come to Match Day to greet nonprofit leaders, learn about volunteering and simply have fun.
“The idea is to, one, get your gifts matched; and two, just get a sense of philanthropy and community and support behind these nonprofits.”
